Dan Hurley remembered turning St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark into a national program, recalled turning Wagner from a five-win program to a 25-win program, and bringing Rhode Island from 7-24 to the NCAA Tournament.

Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin, always a favorite foil of UConn fans, is among those who know what to expect now that the Huskies are in Hurley’s hands.

“He stopped talking to me that summer...

“How many games did we win last year, 14?” asked Hurley, as he described his new rebuilding challenge at UConn. “For me, with the jobs I’ve had, I feel like I’m taking over the Golden State Warriors.”

That drew a laugh, of course, and as Hurley went on to assess his roster, player by player, on Thursday for the sellout crowd at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast, he spelled out strengths, weaknesses and expectations.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of improving that needs to go on here, for us to be better than we’ve been,” Hurley said after his speech. “There’s a reason why we’ve struggled the last couple of years. We’ve got to get more out of these guys. I feel like we have good enough guard play, potentially, that if the frontcourt guys are able to be serviceable for us this year, and do all the little things, we can be an overachieving program.”

Here are Hurley’s takes on each of his scholarship players:

Guards

Cloe Poisson / Hartford Courant

Jalen Adams: Has "a chance to be one of the best guards in the country."

Jalen Adams: Has "a chance to be one of the best guards in the country." (Cloe Poisson / Hartford Courant)

Jalen Adams (Senior)

“We had some great guards at Rhode Island, and Jalen Adams has more game than just about any guard I’ve ever coached, in terms of his talent and skill level. It’s obviously a big year in his career, he’s a guy with NBA aspirations and very aware of his legacy. If he can shoot the ball better from the 3-point line and play with a little more grit and determination and toughness and really develop as a leader, I think he’s got a chance to be one of the best guards in the country.”

Alterique Gilbert (Redshirt Sophomore)

“He’s looked unbelievable in practice in terms of his health. He’s taken some shots and looks to be completely healthy right now.

“His biggest issue is knocking some of the rust off his game from the last couple of years he didn’t get a chance to play [due to shoulder injuries]. He’s actually my type of guard because he’s a junkyard dog, super competitive, hard worker, very, very determined player.”

Christian Vital (Junior)

“Christian has a competitive spirit you just love to coach, it’s kind of an infectious thing that runs through the team. He can use those powers for good or evil, kind of like a super hero. Recently, he’s used them for good. Trying to get him to focus on taking fewer chances on defense, and then his shot selection. He was a volume scorer last year, we want him to be more efficient. He’s really starting to understand how to play the game the right way as a guard.”

Tarin Smith (Grad Transfer)

“Kind of like Al, is my type of guard, athletic, very good off the dribble, can attack the paint and make plays, pressure the defense. He just fits my play style real well.”

Brendan Adams (Freshman)

“I think he’s a guy who is going to surprise people, because he didn’t get a lot of attention when we signed him, and he’s a really, really good player. Good size, very athletic, shoots the ball very, very well, which is kind of a major need in our program. He was raised in the game and he shows the same passion and obsession and desire that I do.”

Wings

Tyler Polley (Sophomore)

“At 6-8, he’s an exciting guy to work with because he’s got potential. His body is underdeveloped, but you can’t teach the way the ball leaves his hand. For us, it’s building up his mindset and putting him in the best position so we can use that 3-point shooting. We’ve got to develop his physical strength and toughness on the court.”

Sid Wilson (Redshirt Freshman)

“I love to work with talents like Sid. He’s got a lot of layers to him, an interesting personality. One day he’s the best player, the next day you wonder if he’s hiding behind Dan [Brocke], the walk-on. Sid, right now, is the type of guy who is going to need a lot of coaching, tough love and standards because he has NBA talent. He’s 6-8, plays way above the rim, can put it on the floor, shoot 3’s, can guard any position. He just oozes talent, but sometimes when you have that type of talent you kind of coast, and with my coaching style that’s not a great fit. … He has as high a ceiling as Jalen.”

Centers/Power Forwards

Isaiah Whaley (Sophomore)

“Isaiah has been probably the most consistent of all our frontcourt players in terms of doing the things we need our frontcourt players to do. Isaiah is a key, has as good a chance as any of those [forwards] players to start the first game because he can really defend, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes on the court, he’s just a solid guy.”

Eric Cobb (Senior)

“He looks phenomenal right now, got himself in great shape. Last year was an up-and-down year for him, but he made a tremendous commitment in the offseason, he shows up every day ready to work. You have to throw the ball inside. He’s probably our best low-post scorer right now. It’s critical for him to get better as a rebounder, as a low-post defender, a rim protector and his ball-screen defense.”

Josh Carlton (Sophomore)

“Tremendous upside with Josh. For Josh, it’s all about his motor, getting him to be more alert, more ready, getting in a more athletic position. Sometimes one or two things happen around him before he reacts. It’s just a function of having to mature as a player and being in a faster-paced practice environment. Incredibly skilled, though, can shoot the ball from 17 feet now, can score over both shoulders in the post. He’s a real building block for us.”

Kwintin Williams (Senior)

“You see the dunk thing at my house, the pool-dunk video? I hope that’s not the best play we run this year. Kwintin plays with a lot of intensity. Certain games you’ve got to get out there and play with some level of rage, and Kwintin has that ability to do that. Really, really intense guy, really athletic, attacks the ball, it’s just a matter of teaching him where he should be at both ends of the court, understanding basketball philosophy.”

Kassoum Yakwe (Grad Transfer)

“He’s been out [with a foot injury], he should be back the end of next week. He brings a lot of value to our frontcourt because he’s an athletic shot-blocker. We play man-to-man pressure defense, our guards will occasionally get beat off the dribble, so it’s essential to me to have somebody that can affect shots at the rim, challenge shots, block shots, and Kassoum Yakwe was leading shot-blocker in the Big East as a freshman [with St. John’s]. He’s got to develop offensively.”

Mamadou Diarra (Redshirt Sophomore)

“Mo is a guy who can really help us at that [power forward] spot. It’s a real problem area and Mo is a guy who can really fit that mold for us, an undersized butt-kicker but has got a little better skill than you probably think. He’s actually way ahead in his rehab [from knee surgery], you may see him in early December.”